|
* * * * * * * * * *
1. New test developed at Wash U detects viruses infecting people, animals
Diana Barr, Associate Editor
St. Louis Business Journal
October 2, 2015
A new test developed at Washington University can detect virtually any virus that can infect people and animals, research shows.
The test, called ViroCap, can detect viruses not found in standard testing based on genome sequencing, according to results published last month in the journal Genome Research. Dr. Gregory Storch, the Ruth L. Siteman Professor of Pediatrics at Washington U, is the study's senior author.
"With this (new) test, you don't have to know what you're looking for," Storch said in a statement. "It casts a broad net and can efficiently detect viruses that are present at very low levels."
********
|
|
2. Dr. Barry Pittman appointed state veterinarian [UT]
Deseret News
October 2, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Commissioner of Agriculture and Food LuAnn Adams has named Dr. Barry Pittman as Utah's state veterinarian.
Pittman is a graduate of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and most recently served as a frontline supervisor for the USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service meat inspection program in Utah.
As a public health veterinarian, Pittman oversaw consumer protection standards, developed federal animal and herd health emergency response procedures, as well as worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to protect the human population from animal diseases.
"I am excited about this opportunity to bring my background in animal health and consumer protection to the Department of Agriculture and Food," Pittman said in a prepared statement.
********
|
|
3. Third case of EEE reported in Chesapeake horse [VA]
Staff
13News Now
October 2, 2015
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) A third case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been diagnosed in a horse from Chesapeake this year, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Friday.
The horse, a 19-week-old Racking filly, had not been vaccinated yet because of his young age. He was euthanized September 24 due to the severity of the illness.
"In mosquito-prone areas like this, most veterinarians recommend a six-month vaccination schedule to provide full protection from EEE, West Nile Virus (WNV) and other mosquito-borne illnesses," officials stated in a press release.
********
|
|
4. Indiana lifts statewide bird ban
Amie Sites, Field Editor
Agri News
October 1, 2015
INDIANAPOLIS - Many 4-H exhibitors were not able to show poultry this year as a result of the statewide bird ban. Now that the ban has been lifted, DeKalb County 4-H members had an opportunity to show poultry.
Although most fairs have already taken place, DeKalb County has a fall fair that allowed members to take advantage of the recently lifted ban.
Lynne Wahlstrom, Purdue Extension educator, said the poultry show still would take place, but they are taking precautions to keep birds healthy.
Poultry movement that allowed birds from different areas to commingle was banned earlier this year to help limit the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health voted to lift the ban and resume movement as Sept. 17 marked 90 days since the last case of avian influence was identified in the U.S.
Forty-five exhibitors were able to show poultry Sept. 28 at the DeKalb County fair. Each exhibitor was limited to showing one chicken or one turkey.
"We're asking that they go out the morning of the competition and check their birds for any signs of avian influenza," Wahlstrom said.
Ducks and geese were not be allowed in the show as they can have the virus without showing any signs.
********
|
|
5. Georgia Congressman Asks for Quick Approval for "Ventilation Shutdown"
ThePoultrySite.com
October 2, 2015
US - The "ventilation shutdown" method of poultry house depopulation should be available quickly in the event of another avian flu outbreak, the Georgia Congressman Doug Collins has urged in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
In the US Department of Agriculture's report on preparedness for a future outbreak, ventilation shutdown was noted as not the preferred method of depopulation, but as a method that could be used on a case-by-case basis.
Ventilation shutdown could be used to kill infected flocks by removing the airflow, causing poultry houses to rapidly heat up. The method has been criticised by animal welfare organisations since the report was released.
In the letter, Mr Collins asks for assurance that ventilation shutdown would be available to use in a timely manner. He explains that unlike other, standard depopulation methods: "ventilation shutdown requires no specialised equipment or personnel and it can be implemented immediately if necessary."
********
|
|
6. Pathogen-carrying neotropical ticks ride migratory birds into US
American Society for Microbiology
EurekAlert
October 2, 2015
Washington, DC - Tick species not normally present in the United States are arriving here on migratory birds. Some of these ticks carry disease-causing Ricksettia species, and some of those species are exotic to the US. The research is published on October 2nd in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
In the study, the investigators examined thousands of migratory birds that had just arrived in the US, after having flown from Central or South America. Three percent of the birds carried exotic ticks. Based on the total number of migratory birds arriving in the US each spring--in the billions--the investigators estimated that more than 19 million exotic ticks are introduced into the US each spring, said Emily B. Cohen, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC.
But as yet there is no evidence that neotropical ticks have established themselves in the US. "It takes the right combination of biotic and abiotic features for the neotropical ticks to survive, reproduce and spread," said Sarah A. Hamer, PhD, DVM, Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. The ticks typically take their first and second blood meals on birds, but once they become adults, they seek out large mammals such as sloths or anteaters, she explained, noting the absence of these exotic mammals from the US.
Full text:
********
|
|
7. Taiwan to stand firm on US pork ractopamine ban: official
CNA
WantChinaTimes.com
October 3, 2015
Taiwan's Council of Agriculture said Friday that it will insist that the country maintain a ban on pork imported from the United States containing traces of leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine, amid fears that the issue could affect future bilateral trade talks.
Taiwan and the US held trade discussions under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on Thursday, and while the issue of US pork imports was not on the agenda, Washington has hinted that it would make signing a bilateral investment agreement more difficult.
The US suspended TIFA talks from 2007 to 2012 because of Taiwan's refusal to import beef containing traces of ractopamine. They were restarted after Taiwan agreed to lift the ban, but local authorities are much less likely to give in on pork imports.
Full text:
********
|
|
